Establishing Safe Spaces for Feedback

“We have a feedback culture.”   That’s what the slide says in your onboarding deck.  But here’s what the team actually feels: → “If I speak up, I’ll be labeled ‘difficult.’” → “If I share the real issue, I’ll lose trust.” → “If I name what’s broken, I’ll be the problem.” That’s not feedback. That’s fear. And fear doesn’t build trust. It builds silence. Here’s how to start changing that 👇 1️⃣ Ask questions they’re scared to answer. Try: “What’s one thing we’re not talking about that we should be?” 2️⃣ Respond to feedback like it’s a gift especially when it stings. If you defend, they won’t bring it again. 3️⃣ Give feedback in real time, not once a year. Waiting for performance reviews = waiting too long. 4️⃣ Model emotional regulation. Your tone and energy determine if the room opens up or shuts down. 5️⃣ Normalize disagreement. If your team always agrees with you, they probably don’t feel safe enough to be honest. 6️⃣ Show them how to speak up then protect them when they do. Psychological safety isn’t just permission. It’s protection. 7️⃣ Do your own work. Your self-awareness sets the ceiling for theirs. No inner work = no outer trust. You don’t earn trust through words. You earn it through nervous systems. Because if people can’t breathe around you, they won’t be honest with you. Want to lead a team where truth feels safe? Start with how you listen. - ♻️ Repost to help leaders prioritize psychological safety 🔔 Follow me Julia Laszlo for radically honest leadership talk

Creating Teams Where People Actually Speak Up Want your best team members to share their real thoughts? Most don't. The Four Seasons hotel chain discovered why. Every morning, managers share what went wrong yesterday. No blame. Just solutions. Their "Glitch Report" meetings transform errors into wins. As their CEO says, "What's important isn't the error. It's the recovery." Here's how to build this psychological safety on your team: 1. Make failure acceptable. Leaders must fail first. Your team watches what you do, not what you say. Admit your mistakes before asking others to share theirs. 2. Ensure that all voices are heard. Try the speaking chip method. Give everyone five chips. Each comment costs one chip. When you're out, you listen. Suddenly, your quietest team members become your most valuable. 3. Make feedback safe. Create consequence-free critique sessions. People hold back honest feedback when they fear being blamed if their suggestion causes problems. Set clear expectations. "Your job is to point out problems, my job is to decide what to fix." After the session, the project owner makes decisions independently, protecting both the feedback giver and the creative vision. Psychological safety isn't just a workplace luxury—it's the difference between a team that merely performs and one that consistently breaks through to excellence.

Ever been on a team that's too quiet? Not focused-quiet. But hesistant-to-speak-up quiet. I once worked with a leader whose motto was: "Silence is 100% agreement." We would chuckle politely. Our silence wasn't agreement. It was fear. Here's what I've learned after nearly two decades coaching people leaders. People don't need to find their voice. They need to feel safe using it. Here are 6 ways to create that safety, without forcing anyone to speak before they're ready: 1. Listen to learn ↳ Pause before responding: "Help me understand your thinking on…" ↳ Reflect back: "Here's what I heard, did I get that right?" ↳ Let people know when their input reshapes your thinking 2. Build confidence before the spotlight ↳ Pair teammates as "thinking partners" to test ideas before meetings ↳ Use 1:1s to help less vocal members frame input as exploratory questions ↳ Normalize iterations. "What if we considered…" often sparks breakthroughs. 3. Model transparent communication ↳ Share your thinking: "Here's my view and why I see it this way…" ↳ Be open about uncertainty. It gives others permission to speak ↳ It's okay to change your mind in public when presented with strong alternatives 4. Facilitate solution-building sessions ↳ Ask: "What would success look like for everyone involved?" ↳ Use "Yes, and…" to build momentum, not shut it down ↳ Try brainstorm rules: build on others' ideas before introducing new ones 5. Disagree without making it personal ↳ Start with: "We're debating the approach, not anyone's expertise" ↳ Use neutral framing: "There are different perspectives here" ↳ Keep feedback focused on outcomes and impact, not personality 6. Make space for the quiet thinkers ↳ End with: "Let's reflect for 24 hours before deciding" ↳ Send pre-reads with clear reflection prompts ↳ Start key conversations with a few minutes of silent thinking When you shift from demanding participation to designing for it, you're not just changing meetings. You're redefining how power flows through your organization. How do you create space for insight that isn't loud? ♻️ Feel free to share if you're working toward conversations where every voice has room. ➕ If you lead people, this space is for you. Follow me, Michelle Awuku-Tatum for insights on: ↳ Human-centered leadership, resilient teams, and intentional culture.

I once had a team of insecure overachiever analysts. They were introverts, brilliant at their work, and incredibly nice people. Too nice, as it turned out. They were so nice that they wouldn't tell each other what was really going on. Instead, they'd come to me: "So-and-so is doing this thing that's really annoying. Can you do something about it?" I got sick of everyone putting me in the middle instead of taking ownership of their issues with each other. So I did something about it. I brought in trainers from the Center for Creative Leadership to teach everyone the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) model (link in comments). The process was simple but powerful: 1. Describe the situation so everyone's on the same page. 2. Share the specific behavior you observed (no judgments about intent). 3. Explain the impact on you or the other people in the room. We started with positive feedback to create safety. We practiced saying things like, “When you walked into that meeting with a big smile, the impact was that it put everyone at ease." Everyone started spotlighting the good that was happening, and that encouraged more thoughtful interactions. Then, we practiced constructive feedback—harder, but even more important. The impact was almost immediate. Soon, I heard people asking each other, "Hey, can I give you an SBI?" The framework made it safe. More importantly, we came to give and receive feedback for the gift that it is. That ability to give and receive honest, thoughtful feedback is the foundation of every healthy team culture. But it's a skill we rarely train for. I’m curious: What frameworks have you used in your organizations to create a culture of feedback?

Most leaders say they want feedback. But few make it safe to give. And fewer still invite it. Here's what I've seen time and again: The best feedback isn’t given. It’s invited. It's not about a one-time form or annual reviews. It's about leading with consistent curiosity. Because feedback doesn’t flow from fear. It flows from trust. As the leader, you're the only one who can make it safe. How? Try this with your team: 1️⃣ Own your misses. → Name what you could have done better. → It signals to your team that you want to grow. 2️⃣ Ask better questions. → Don't just ask, “Is there any feedback?” → Ask, “What’s hard to say that I need to hear?” 3️⃣ Show that it matters. → Action is how you honor input. → Make feedback feel fruitful, not forgotten. 4️⃣ Reward the risk. → Feedback takes courage. → Show appreciation for what's hard to say. Your team knows your blind spots. They just don’t know if it’s safe to name them. Lead the way. Make feedback normal. Make growth mutual. What’s helped you normalize feedback with your team? ♻️ Repost to inspire more cultures of safety and growth. For more:  🔔 Follow me, Paul DiCicco.  ✉️ Try the Lead Well, Live Well Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e-8fvs8d